Daily life in Zongman

And by combining it with the games he played, he also figured out the meaning of the flash points, which represented hints for obtaining resources.

He could discover lost coins and special items in the flashing spots. The Ice Soul Sword he once obtained should be a type of special item. Unfortunately, he never discovered any other special items after that.

Fujiwara Haru guessed that only the items that were lost and had no owner would have a flashing spot on the map, and special items were rarely lost, so it would be difficult for him to find them.

Then there are exclamation marks, which come in yellow and red. The yellow exclamation mark doesn't indicate a quest like in most games, but rather a story.

For example, the yellow exclamation mark that Fujiwara Haru sees most often appears in various ramen restaurants many times. Every time you go there, you can see a big sister named Koizumi eating ramen happily.

Sometimes he would eat along with them. It must be said that the ramen restaurants frequented by Big Sister Koizumi were all great. Each one had its own strengths and secret recipes. The signature ramen was even more amazing, and the secret sauce could even bring unexpected surprises to Fujiwara Haru.

So Fujiwara Haru was very keen to explore the yellow exclamation mark.

As a result, he saw many strange stories, including but not limited to seeing a man and a woman kissing on the street last winter.

Seeing real people kissing, on the street, Fujiwara Haru was a little surprised, but it was just a kiss, it wasn't something very strange.

Then he found that the older sister with long black hair pushed the man away and slapped him. Fujiwara Haru thought the man was forcing a kiss on her and was about to go over to help when he heard the following conversation.

"Are you kidding..."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Why are you so skilled?"

"How many times have you and Setsuna... kissed?"

The young Fujiwara Haru didn't understand, but he was deeply shocked.

There is also a yellow exclamation mark that I remember vividly, which happened on an afternoon in the summer before March.

While running to exercise, Fujiwara Haru noticed a yellow exclamation mark by the river. The river was quite dangerous, so he ran over thinking something might happen. Then he saw a man sitting on the grass on the river bank.

Soon a woman arrived. They sat on the grassy slope, one in front of the other. The river swayed the water plants, and the wind made the grass sway. Under the dim sunset, their hair was blown by the wind, and with the shimmering river surface, everything was so beautiful.

Fujiwara Haru watched them from the bank for two minutes. Then the man on the lawn spoke up, "The wind is quite noisy today."

He didn't understand, but thought it was very cool. He ran home and learned it for Sister Shendong. Then Sister Shendong covered her mouth and laughed, and recorded it with her mobile phone.

He's quite handsome, why do you find it funny? I really don't understand Sister Shen Dong.

Fujiwara Haru, who was lying on the sofa, also thought that sentence was very cool. His thoughts were very divergent before going to bed. He was originally guessing what the purple star gate was, but now his thoughts had jumped to memories of the past.

Fujiwara Haru pulled his thoughts back to where they had wandered and began to recall the red exclamation mark.

He has encountered the red exclamation mark several times in the past two years. Most of them indicate accidents, some of which may result in death, while others may not result in death but may cause deep harm to the victims.

For example, the two girls who were rescued from the creek and the school respectively, and some people who were rescued in the past two years, including a couple who had a car accident on their honeymoon and classmates who were bullied at school.

These are all things that happen when red exclamation marks appear. Most of the time, Fujiwara Haru will take Sister Shendong with him, so even if there is a car accident, he is lucky enough to save the person, which is really gratifying.

By the way, does that mean a yellow exclamation mark represents a story without danger, and a red exclamation mark represents a story with the possibility of danger?

Fujiwara Haru thought about it and felt that this should be the case.

Finally, we speculate about the purple star gate. A pop-up prompt says it is a special event. After arriving nearby, the purple star gate disappears, and then a yellow exclamation mark appears, indicating that there are key characters and stories.

So, does it mean that this is a very special story? Something magical is going to happen?

Speaking of which, Uncle Daliang, whom I first encountered with the yellow exclamation mark, is still in prison. Fujiwara Haru learned more about Uncle Daliang's imprisonment last year when he asked at the Midnight Diner. He was sentenced to twenty years. I didn't see him the first time I visited him in prison alone, but later, with Sister Shendong taking me, I officially saw Uncle Daliang again.

Uncle Daliang didn't recognize him at first sight, but that's normal. He has changed a lot since then. He should change even more in a few years, right?

I don't know what height can surpass Nishimiya Shoko. It's so annoying. Why is the height difference getting bigger and bigger now? When can I catch up with her?

Fujiwara Haru's thoughts were completely distracted, and then he gradually fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, he was startled awake by the sound of the first guest coming downstairs. After all, the sofa wasn't as comfortable as the bed he was used to. If it were Fujiwara Haru from two years ago, he would have been sound asleep, oblivious to the noise. But Fujiwara Haru was a bit more delicate now, and therefore, he couldn't sleep soundly on the sofa, and the slightest noise would wake him up.

After sitting up with a yawn, Fujiwara Haru did not try to fall asleep again. Instead, he opened the map on the screen and took a look. He found that the yellow exclamation mark had disappeared, and the purple gate icon reappeared in the fog. He spread out the purchased map for comparison and confirmed that the purple gate was on a mountain.

After buying a set of disposable toiletries, washing his face, brushing his teeth and having breakfast, Fujiwara Haru was ready to set off at dawn.

I found an early-rising truck driver and asked, "Uncle, can you take me here?"

The man smoking by the truck looked at the map and asked, "That's very remote. What are you doing there?"

“Hike up the mountain and explore.”

The uncle took a puff of his cigarette and said, "Kids these days are amazing. They start climbing mountains at such a young age."

He looked at Fujiwara Haru's backpack and thought it was a kid who had gone hiking. Although it was a little strange, it was impossible for him to run away from home in the mountains. That would be too remote.

"May I?"

The uncle looked at the map again and said, "Okay, I'm going to buy some food. It's a bit of a detour, but it's on the way. Let's get in the car."

Fujiwara Haru got in the car, and a voice came from the side: "Wait, where are you going? Can you take me with you?"

——End of Chapter————

Note ①-The couple who had a car accident during their honeymoon: Izumi Kotetsu and the first generation Eromanga teacher.

:)

36. What it lacks in connections, it makes up for in good appetite

The person who shouted "wait a minute" was one of the three boys he saw last night. Fujiwara Haru knew the name of this boy who was five years older than him - Tachibana Taki.

The two didn't talk much in the car. Taki Tachibana seemed to be worried about something. He kept checking the map and occasionally opened his phone to look at something.

The driver pointed ahead and said, "It's raining out front. How about you come back next time?"

On the top of a mountain not far away, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and some lightning snakes were moving in the clouds, which looked very scary.

Tachibana Taki was silent for a moment, then responded in a low voice: "I'm going today."

He murmured, "I can hardly remember it anymore...I can't put it off any longer..."

Fujiwara Haru didn't say anything, but took out a raincoat from his schoolbag and showed it to him. The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror and didn't say anything else.

They arrived at their destination in silence at the foot of the mountain. Fujiwara Haru got his things and got off the car. When Tachibana Taki was about to get off, the driver handed him a bento box and said, "Bento box, take it and eat it."

Tachibana Taki and the driver seemed to have known each other before. The driver lit a cigarette and said, "The image of Itomu that you drew is really good."

"Call me when you're coming down the mountain, and I'll pick you up."

Tachibana Taki thanked him and got off the bus with his lunch. Fujiwara Haru also thanked the driver and went up the mountain together.

He didn't understand the relationship between them, nor did he know why Tachibana Taki came here, nor did he know what the ikonomori was. He just wanted to see what the purple star gate was.

Fujiwara Haru walked in front, watching the light blue screen move forward. Not long after, the sky became dark and gloomy, and dark clouds floated over.

Having made many preparations, Fujiwara Haru took out a raincoat from his schoolbag. However, it was still too difficult to move forward in the heavy rain. The two found a cave to rest for a while, shared bottled water and lunch boxes, and continued on their journey when the rain subsided.

While climbing the mountain, Tachibana Taki asked, "Fujiwara, why are you climbing this mountain?"

To be honest: "I'm curious about what's here."

Although Tachibana Taki is a bit strange, climbing other mountains is still climbing mountains, so maybe it's just a coincidence.

The two walked in silence for a while, and then Tachibana Taki murmured, "Fujiwara, do you know the connection?"

"what?"

"Link, guardian of the land here."

Tachibana Taki looked at the knot on his wrist, as if he was not talking to Fujiwara Haru, but to himself.

He murmured his increasingly hazy memories: "The connection of lines is a connection, the connection of people is a connection, and the passage of time is also a connection."

"Water, rice, or wine, the substances that enter the human body combine with the soul, and that is also a connection."

The two climbed to the top of the mountain. The top of the mountain was not a sharp peak, but a large sunken pit, like a crater.

After Fujiwara Haru reached the top of the mountain, he found that the purple star gate disappeared again, and then a super bright flash appeared in the center of this deep pit.

Tachibana Taki looked at everything in front of him, and his tone changed from whispering to firmness: "It's true... It really happened. I'm not dreaming."

The two men headed towards the center of the deep pit, waded through the stream, walked through the grass, and came to the entrance of a cave.

After carefully entering, what comes into view is a small shrine. The stone shrine is covered with moss and there are many traces of human excavation. It can be seen that it was a very important place in the past.

Is this shrine dedicated to the local land god?

Fujiwara Haru didn't know what was going on. He watched Tachibana Taki walk forward, his whole body in a trance, and he kept saying, "I've been here before."

"Yes, I've been here. We brought in some wine. This one is for my sister, and this one is for me."

Tachibana Taki picked up the small bottle of wine on his left: "Before the comet fell, the one who swapped bodies with me was the same one from three years ago?"

Wiping the moss off the porcelain wine jug, he murmured, "Is time out of sync?"

He said, "This is her half..." and opened the porcelain wine jug. "If the connection really represents time..."

"Once again, I wish I could...swap bodies..."

Fujiwara Haru watched him pour himself a cup, drink it, then fall down and lose consciousness.

Ok?

What did he mean? What was he doing by doing this?

Fujiwara Haru was confused, but according to the map prompts, he picked up the super shiny porcelain wine jug, which was to the right of the porcelain wine jug that Taki Tachibana had just picked up.

So, is this porcelain wine jug some super powerful special prop?

Does the purple star gate mean that you can get super powerful special props?

What is it used for?

Fujiwara Haru curiously wiped off the moss on the porcelain wine jug, then followed Tachibana Taki's example and opened the jug to take a look.

The wine, slightly cloudy, smelled sweet. Was it some kind of heavenly treasure? One of those things in anime where eating it grants superpowers?

Fujiwara Haru didn't know, but that didn't stop him from trying.

Take a sip, smack your lips, and you'll find a hint of sweetness, a very pleasant taste. If this is a natural treasure that's good for your health, then don't waste it, drink it all.

Fujiwara Haru tilted his head back and put the wine jug to his lips, gulping it all down. After finishing it all, he burped.

What came at once was the dizziness from drinking alcohol for the first time and drinking a lot of alcohol. Fujiwara Haru fell backwards in a daze.

He saw the hazy portraits on the murals and some snowflakes. In the haze, he lay in a warm and familiar embrace, and then he completely lost his vision and fell into darkness.

In the hazy darkness, he seemed to see ripples. He crashed into the calm water, causing ripples, and then continued to sink and sink.

After breaking through a thin membrane, Fujiwara Haru woke up. The unfamiliar ceiling, with its wooden structure and grids, had a neat and beautiful feel.

He stood up and looked around. It looked like a little girl's room, and she looked no older than him. Fujiwara Haru, somewhat puzzled as to why he was sleeping here, got up and saw his arms supporting himself on the ground.

Thin and small, white and tender.

Eh?

Where are my well-trained arms?! How did I get so skinny?!

After finding the mirror with some panic, Fujiwara Haru was shocked!

Who is that girl in the mirror?!

what?

Why does she look so shocked?

Fujiwara Haru turned around and looked around, and found that the girl in the mirror was also turning around to look.

He was silent.

Why, he turned into a girl!

After calming down in the room, Fujiwara Haru decided to explore first to see where he was and whether he could find the way home. He would go home as soon as possible to ask Sister Shendong if he could turn back.

When I went downstairs, I saw a white-haired old lady sitting in the living room. She turned her head and said, "Good morning, Yotsuba. Tell your sister to get up too. We're going to be late."

[Yoshiha? Calling me? Does she know me? Who is my sister?]

Fujiwara Haru, who was confused, decided not to say anything for the time being. The old lady looked very kind, so he decided to do as she said.

He went back upstairs. There weren't many rooms, so he opened all of them and found a woman who was much older than him.

She was crying and rubbing her chest. When she found the door opened, she turned around and looked over: "Ah! It's my sister!"

Then she came crawling over crying, "Yoshiha!"

Fujiwara Haru closed the door, still feeling scared. What on earth was going on?